You are only alone in adversity when you choose to be.
Type of volunteer:
Bereavement and bedside vigil
Hometown:
Syracuse, New York
Favorite place you’ve visited:
I loved Istanbul, Turkey, Florence and Rome, Italy – but I’m always happy to come home.
What convinced you to move to the Lowcountry?
It all came together – our children graduated from college, we sold the business that kept us there, and we grew tired of winter weather.
Since you are retired, what was your past career?
Currently, I’m a volunteer. My career was as a licensed clinical social worker in private practice.
Favorite hobbies:
Painting, watching movies and staying in touch with friends and family.
What is your most memorable moment volunteering with HCL?
How glad I was to have Maggie’s help when my brother-in-law was struggling with ALS and my sister needed help caring for him.
Most memorable patient:
My first vigial patient, and everyone I’ve worked with since then.
What inspired you to volunteer with hospice?
Knowing how comforting hospice care is takes away much of the anxiety of having a life-threatening illness. I know I’ll be cared for and my family will be supported.
Do you volunteer with other nonprofits in the area?
Mostly with my church.
Have you or your family been personally affected by hospice?
My family had hospice care for my dad in 1979. It was such a blessing that I looked to support hospice in any way I could.
What is your favorite part of volunteering with hospice?
The sense that I’m doing something that makes a difference in the lives of those I serve.
What do you wish people knew about HCL?
That most people wait too long to invite hospice in.
How has being a hospice volunteer changed your outlook on life?
You are only alone in adversity when you choose to be.
What is your most irrational fear?
Chronic pain.
What age would you choose to be permanently? Why?
Not an age, but a circumstance. I’d love to be as happy, as open to life, and as loved as I felt in the first blush of matrimonial bliss!
If you had a superpower, what would it be? Why?
To help others know how valued and how wonderful they are!
What is something you would never do again?
Hurt someone’s feelings unnecessarily.
Would you rather live a week in the past or in the future? Why?
I’m happy where I am!
What do you think you will want to tell yourself ten years from now?
That I’m getting better every year!
What would you want your last words to be?
What a friend said: “Wait ’til you see how beautiful it is!”
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